The High Court (HC) has declared illegal further detention of writer and columnist Shahriar Kabir for 90 days.

The detention of Saber Hossain Chowdhury, political advisor to Sheikh Hasina, was also declared illegal but he was shown arrested in connection with cinema blasts in Mymensingh.

Shahriar was given a fresh detention on Sunday although he was supposed to be released as per a HC order.

Meantime, the HC orders for release of historian Muntasir Mamun and Awami League leader Shafi Chowdhury have been sent to Dinajpur and Rangpur jails.

A Division Bench of the HC declared fresh detention of Shahriar illegal when defence counsel Barrister Amirul Islam made his submission before it. Justice Hamidul Haque and Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury comprised the bench.

The counsel said by this time, the government passed an order for continuation of detention of his client but it was yet to be received by the detainee.

Amirul argued that the order for continuation of detention is illegal because the 'initial order is illegal.'

The HC observed it has now been well settled that if the initial order for detention is found illegal, the subsequent orders for extension or continuation of the detention shall also be illegal. In this case, as the initial order was found illegal, the detainee should not be detained on the basis of any further order for extension or continuation of detention.

Earlier on December 8 last year, Shahriar was arrested without any specific charge against him. Later, he was shown arrested in a sedition case. He obtained bail from the HC in both cases. Then he was given a one-month detention under the Special Powers Act.

The HC order was sent to Chittagong jail, where Shahriar is imprisoned now. He might be released today, his lawyer said.